Missing in action

I guess if I've been missing for 3 weeks it means life is either busy, boring or there is not enough Morris news? I do know life is never boring and it is always busy and with the September coughs and colds it has been exasperating as well......but first up some Morris news! Back in 2016 we had the wonderful opportunity of visiting Iceland and I did several posts about that starting HERE. One of the main reasons for our journey was to find out what captured William Morris' imagination there and it didn't take long to discover........

So for the very first time in Iceland there is currently an exhibition showing in the Reykjavik Art Museum aptly titled William Morris: Let Beauty Rule! Helen from Whitecroft Tours gave me a wonderful book written by Lavinia Greenlaw with excerpts from William's travel journal to Iceland in 1871 and while there we saw the type of small Icelandic horses that Morris used for his journey.......

 Morris's words are quite easy to read in this travel journal....unlike "News From Nowhere" that Larry has just started reading this week and that I am still to get through!......

I read of another related exhibition this time travelling through Sweden until January 2020. It is not quite Morris but Edward Burne-Jones: The Pre-Raphaelites and the North showcasing many of Burne-Jones' paintings, textiles and drawings that have influenced Scandinavian design - wonderful! My designing seems to be on hold for now as we have been busy with family life. Little Wade is now walking confidently and he is such a joy to watch as his little personality develops.....

And this weekend just gone we took the older two away as their parents had two functions to attend over two nights so we headed down to our beloved south coastline. I found a fabulous little shack and the added bonus while being away was seeing a southern right whale and her calf out at sea...sadly no photos but a magical experience we will all remember.....

 The weather was cold and wet but we had some indoor activities including Maisie attempting her first ever patchwork...and she loved it........

 Lots of fossicking and collecting for sharing at school and kindy this week.......

 The kiddies took their iPads and took lots of their own photos for sharing as well..........

 In recent weeks I also managed to share a technique for the cotton rope bowls in a half day workshop and the results speak for themselves. Everyone was very happy to go home with something almost completed.....

 And again one evening with three special friends.......

 So at home we are experiencing the rollercoaster of the changing season with very warm one day and freezing cold the next. I've been coughing for what seems like weeks but the garden brings a smile with some springtime blooms.....

 We also have a new member of the family who has joined us and he too is bringing us joy....and he is "Topsy" in memory of William Morris! (for those of you who don't know - Morris was called "Topsy" by his close friends).....

 So my final happy news is that we have some new furniture! These chairs have been in the making for some weeks now and we are pretty chuffed with the results. I have wanted to get my late Mum's chair reupholstered for a long while now using a William Morris fabric from Morris & Co. But I really couldn't afford it and only having a small home I think it would have looked wrong anyway. So instead I started thinking about the Cotswold tweed look that I thought my Morris cushions might suit. Well finding that in Adelaide was near impossible and this was the closest I could get! But I was thrilled to find a business not far from home: Adelaide Upholstery and Sewing where we met the owner Martin Colwill - a craftsman who trained in the UK...how perfect! Martin reupholstered Mum's chair and the before and after images below make it unrecognisable but I know Mum would have loved it and it is just what I asked for......

So we had two more chairs hand crafted to match and all costing little more than having just Mum's chair done in Morris fabric! I know it is not to everyone's taste and maybe it looks like the old folks home but we love it as it reminds us of many happy hours in the UK relaxing in some country Cotswold hotels.....now we just need the fireplace!